"He did what?" Chris said, eyes wide in disbelief. He could hardly imagine anyone being stupid enough to make a move on Daisy. But then again, it was a known fact the Ravenclaw chaser lacked a certain amount of common sense.
"Yea, I know," Jamie said, taking a drink from the flask. The events of the night played through his head.
"I'm surprised you didn't kill him," Chris said. "I'd be halfway tempted if it were my little sister."
"Me as well," Godrick said. "You lot always seem to go batshit crazy protective when it comes to Daisy."
"I suppose we should be expecting a howler," Remus said, taking the flask from Jamie.
"How long do you think before Daisy speaks to us again?" Alan asked. Remus shrugged.
"Who knows? If anyone knows how to hold a grudge, it's her. She didn't speak to us for nearly a week the time we broke her toy broom and she was only about 5 years old then," Remus replied. "But did you see the work she did on his nose? She'd make a fair beater." A look of awe came over his face as he laughed. "You have to give her credit for that. He'll have a black eye for at least a week. Granted everyone will think it was Jamie..."
"She shouldn't have been in that situation where she had to defend herself to begin with," Jamie said, quietly fuming.
"Come on now, Jamie. We can't protect her from everything. We couldn't even save her on the pitch when she took that leap off her broom. Chris had to step in," Alan said. Jamie looked at him, then at Chris, who was blushing slightly.
"It was nothing. I was just closest," he said. He had flown faster than he had ever flown before that day, willing himself to catch her before she hit the ground.
"And thank Merlin you were," Remus added. Jamie continued to silently stare at Chris, who was trying desperately to think of something other than Daisy. He knew Jamie was looking into his head. But all Jamie could see was a reasonable amount of concern for his teammate. Nothing out of the ordinary, though Jamie could sense something more.
"Just didn't want us to lose the best seeker in Hogwarts," Chris said.
"Sure," Jamie said evenly. Chris glanced at him.
"Come on, Jamie. Would you stop reading my mind? It's unnerving," he said, fidgeting. Jamie sighed and looked away. He knew Chris still harboured a crush on his sister, but there was nothing he could do about that. As long as the chaser left her alone, that's all that mattered.
Granted after finding out she broke the Ravenclaw bloke's nose, Jamie hoped that would be enough deterrent. If it wasn't the fact that he and his brothers had gone after him would. Chris took a deep breath and slowly let it out, happy that Jamie no longer had him fixed in an intense stare.
The last thing he wanted Jamie to discover was the fact that he was still attracted to Daisy - even moreso after hearing after she had stood up to the Ravenclaw.
"I cannot believe those three," Lucy fumed from her bed.
"They were just standing up for Daisy," Lisette said, taking a sip from her goblet. "Did Prentiss really try to force himself on you?" Her eyes were wide as she moved over to sit on Eliza's bed next to Daisy's. Daisy sighed and rolled her eyes.
"It wasn't like that. He just… misread the situation. He is daft when it comes to women," she said.
"Well, I doubt he'll mess with you anymore," Sarah said from across the room. "If that's any consolation."
"That will make life easier," Daisy admitted.
"How long before you plan to speak to the triplets again?" Lucy asked. Daisy glared.
"Not anytime soon, that's for sure," she said, starting to fume.
"What a year for Daisy… First, the dashing Chris swoops in to save her during the match. Now Prentiss is getting beat up for trying to kiss her," Lisette mused. Whatever was in her goblet was making her giddy. Daisy huffed and looked at her roommate.
"Chris is just my teammate. He happened to be the closest one to me. I'm sure James or Roger or one of the triplets would have done the same thing," she said.
"But isn't it romantic? Your crush flies in and saves you... like a prince in shining armor," Lucy said, swooning. Daisy rolled her eyes.
"I do not have a crush on him," she said.
"But you did say you'd like him to be your first kiss," Eliza said, grinning as she and Lisette clinked their goblets together. Daisy blushed as her roommates started laughing, regretting she had ever said anything about the chaser.
"Sod off," she said, pushing off from her bed and grabbing the flask from Lucy, all the while dragging a quilt off her bed behind her.
"Where are you going?" Lucy called.
"Somewhere quiet," Daisy responded as she walked out of the dorm.
Chris quietly walked down the stairs to the common room, hoping to get some peace and quiet. The party had died out downstairs and it seemed most students were now either in bed or had moved the party to their dorms. Despite all the happenings of the day, the triplets were back in fine spirits and loudly singing the Puddlemere fight song over and over again. While humorous, it was a bit much.
He sighed with happiness once the empty room came into sight. But then he heard a small hiccup. Looking over, he noticed a bright red bun of curls over the top of the sofa in front of the fireplace. Walking over, he was a bit taken aback when he saw Daisy sitting there crossed-legged, wrapped in a quilt made of old quidditch jerseys, taking a sip from a flask. She turned slightly, her eyes widening when she saw Chris.
"I'm sorry, I can leave," he said, starting to turn.
"No, no. It's -hiccup- fine. You can sit," she said, patting the sofa next to her. He moved over and sat, very aware that her knee was brushing up against his thigh."
"How much of that have you had?" he asked, taking the flask from her. Daisy shrugged.
"Not too much, I think," she said, still looking at the fire. "Figured I -hiccup- earned it after today." Chris laughed softly and took a swig. Daisy looked at him, holding her hand out. He passed it back.
"Didn't know you were one to drink," he said, smiling slightly.
"I do from time to time -hiccup-," she said, before taking another drink. They both sat in companionable silence for a bit while Daisy held her breath, hoping to rid herself of the damned hiccups. Suddenly, she looked at him, slowly letting out her breath. Chris blushed slightly under her intense stare. He ventured a look and immediately turned away, not trusting himself to look into her bright green eyes.
"I realized I never properly thanked you for saving me a couple weeks ago," she said, happy to notice the hiccups had disappeared. Chris shrugged.
"It was nothing," he said. "I'm, ah, I'm sorry for what happened tonight with Prentiss and your brothers." Daisy laughed haggardly.
"Well, I suppose it's a good thing I'm not really looking for a boyfriend. I'm sure no one would dare come near me now - no matter who they believe actually hit him," she said, taking another drink. Chris looked over at her. She was staring into the fire again.
"Because they're scared of your brothers?" he asked. Daisy looked at him, smiling.
"Or me. I did break his nose, after all," she said. "I suspect there will be several wildly different stories floating around school tomorrow." Chris smiled.
"How could anyone find you frightening?" he asked, joking. "You're still just a bit taller than a pipsqueak." Daisy sat up straighter, zeroing in on him.
"I grew one inch over the summer, I'll have you know," she said, smiling. Chris laughed and shook his head.
"Ah, yes. That one inch makes all the difference," he replied with a lazy grin. Daisy studied him a moment, laughing quietly.
"Ah, so you're not afraid of me..." she said, curious. Chris coughed and ran his hand through his blonde hair.
"Well… no, though I can see why others might be. And I definitely wouldn't want to get on your bad side after seeing what you did to Alan and Remus for that Emily mishap," he said, laughing it off. He was glad the firelight masked his blush.
"Are you afraid of my brothers?" Daisy blurted out.
"Eh, not so much. At this point after nearly seven years as their roommate, there's not much they haven't already done to me… pranks and all," he said. Daisy laughed ruefully and looked back at the fire.
"Some days I wish I could just… get away from them. From dad as well. All of them are so… suffocating," she said, leaning back against the couch and looking up at the ceiling. Chris looked at her.
"How bad does it get?" he asked. Daisy sighed.
"Some days Dad is just annoying. Others, well, you get what you saw on the quidditch pitch. You've no idea how many times he's grounded me," she said. "The triplets didn't used to be so bad, but this year, it's like Jamie has morphed into Da. I'm quite looking forward to two years without them, to be honest."
"And I thought my older brother was bad," Chris said with a laugh.
"I thought Mum would be the worst - as she can actually sense when I'm in danger - but she's the one who is the most hands off," she said. "I suppose it's because she's used to it and wants to give us space… she had a difficult time of it with Harry."
"I can imagine that that's not easy," Chris said. "Just from what I've heard, seems like your cousin was in constant danger when he was younger." Daisy laughed.
"I suppose a quidditch match here and there is nothing compared to fighting off the Dark Lord several times when you think about it," she said before taking a drink.
"Does she… ever talk about it?" he asked. Daisy shook her head no.
"I've asked but she always changes the subject. I don't think she likes to talk about it… Lost too many people," she said.
"The triplets never mention it, but I imagine it must not be easy… your parents being who they are. Everyone knowing all these things and yet your family doesn't say anything," Chris said. Daisy looked at him.
"Most of the time I don't think of it much. But sometimes… When someone will say something…," she trailed off. "James, Albus and Lily have it worse, though. Being the children of the Chosen One." She laughed. "At least I don't have to worry about that. Mum kept a low profile for the most part. She just remains the mysterious aunt of Harry Potter."
"And you… the cousin of Harry Potter… and daughter of Oliver Wood."
"Don't remind me," she said, rolling her eyes and holding the flask out. Chris laughed and took it, taking another drink.
"So… tell me about Daisy. Just Daisy," he said, feeling emboldened by the alcohol. Daisy chuckled.
"You know me," she said. Chris shrugged.
"I know that you're my mates' little sister. I know you're a smashing good seeker. You read a lot. You're a metamorphmagus. But not much else," he admitted, holding the flask back to her. She accepted it and thought while taking a drink.
"I'm not sure," she said truthfully. "I want to play quidditch. I like potions and transfiguration. I'm worried I'll never break out of my family's shadow." Chris looked at her.
"You will," he said. Daisy looked over at him and smiled. She took another drink. "What else?" She handed the flask back to him.
"I have far too many cousins, but Harry, Lucy and Teddy are my favorites. I prefer muggle music to wizard. Uncle George is my favorite uncle. I think most of the triplets' pranks are brilliant, even though I pretend they aren't most the time. And I hope this is the year I get my first kiss," she said quickly. Chris nearly choked on the whisky. Daisy looked at him, her eyebrows raised.
"Sorry… that was just… a lot of information," he said. Daisy smiled slightly and looked back at the fire, her face blushing. She hadn't meant to add that last bit. And now she felt incredibly self-conscious that she had. Chris was distinctly aware of how close they were sitting. He shifted slightly. Daisy's cheeks burned bright red. They sat in awkward silence for a moment. Daisy sat up and cleared her throat.
"It's getting late," she said suddenly. "I should… go to bed." She wrapped the quilt around her and stood. Chris stood quickly as well.
"Ehm… well then… I suppose this is goodnight," he said. Daisy looked up at him and nodded.
"Goodnight, then," she said. They stared at each other a moment, as if something had frozen them to that spot. Daisy started to move around him, then stopped. She looked up at him, her eyes flashing brighter. Slowly, he started leaning down towards her. This was it… she was about to get her first kiss. Every muscle in her body was tense. But then, she felt as though he was taking too long. Standing up on her tip-toes, she put her hand to his cheek and pulled him down to her.
The moment his lips touched her, there were no fireworks or magic. But it was a bit more than what Toby described. It wasn't wet or messy like what she had seen the other students do. There was a buzz that went through her. It was nice. Suddenly, Chris stepped away, as though he realized what he was doing. They both stared at each other a moment in shock, the only noise the sound of their breathing.
"I should… get to bed," Daisy said suddenly. She then moved passed him and ran up the stairs to her dormitory, leaving Chris standing in the common room. She didn't stop until she was nestled under her covers in bed, listening to the soft snores of her roommates. Only then did she allow herself to smile.
Decided I should post both these chapters together, as they are two parts of one story line. Still working on finishing the rest, even though I've got it plotted out. Hope you all enjoy!